Don’t you hate hearing those words? It really depends on who is saying them and whether you believe them or not. If you don’t know me, the first thoughts you probably had were, yeah right! Who does this guy think he is? Why on earth would I trust him? Everyone has heard these words before. In fact, most of us have heard them from the wrong people. As soon as we hear someone say them, the doubt process starts in our mind. Why is that? My guess is that somewhere along the way, you got hurt like I did. It was by someone who said those exact words, “trust me,” and then later give us reasons not to.

Parents always tell their children, “Don’t trust strangers.” It is because children trust everyone, not knowing the danger of such a belief system. They hand out trust because they have loads of it to give. They don’t know how rotten people can be. Give them time and they will learn. The hard part will be guiding them, so they do not become bitter and resentful through this process. Friends, parents, or adults start doing things that cause children to doubt their truthfulness. In time, they become increasingly reluctant to trust others because they have been let down so many times. By adulthood, we more suspicious of everyone than ever because we have been hurt countless times. Depending on how much pain we endured, we are tempted to think, never again!

Trust is easily shattered. Even at an early age, a child’s trust can be broken. Let’s say a child wants to jump down from something. The parent says, go ahead, I will catch you. Most of the time, they do. But what happens if the parent accidently drops the child? Every time the child repeats that event, fear plagues their mind. There is a chance that jumping would mean another fall. If you are not positive you can catch your child, don’t tell them to jump.

Relationships are tested on a regular basis. When you tell someone that you are going to do something for them or meet them, and then don’t show up, trust is lost. As far as friendship is concerned, many of the friends we started out with are not always the same as the ones we have now. There are good reasons for why this happens, but the bad reasons stand out the most. People you thought were your friends did something that made you feel awful. In regard to significant others, they develop bonds with each other. Feelings are shared and they open themselves up to a deeper and more meaningful relationship. If ever one day one of them cheats, trust goes right out the window!

Like it or not, we live in a broken world. Trust is not always freely granted because we are fearful of being hurt once more. However, we usually expect a clean slate when it comes to our own chances to earn trust with another person. It is unwise to make a person pay for the mistakes of another. Doing so will limit your ability to form new or better relationships. At the same time, exercise caution and guard your heart. Don’t overcommit yourself. If you say you will do something, keep your word. Do your best not to let others down by betraying the trust they have placed in you. Be loyal. Live with integrity.